News

Birla Carbon Spain has secured a €2 million (US $2.3 million) grant from Society for Regional Development of Cantabria S.A. (SODERCAN), a public entity of the Government of Cantabria, to support its energy autonomy initiative at the Cantabria plant.
When completed, the project is expected to reduce CO2 emissions annually. In addition, it will reduce reliance on water from the Miera River for cooling purposes and decrease process water discharge. The investment will also help safeguard nearly 200 direct and indirect jobs associated with the facility.

MAP invites you to submit an abstract for the 2026 AMAP Annual Conference & Workshop, October 19-21, 2026, in Boston, Massachusetts. Submissions are due April 24, 2026.

This year’s conference will explore how advanced materials, polymer technologies, and performance-driven engineering are redefining the way we design, produce, and construct asphalt pavements and roofing systems.

The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., announced that it has begun supplying its ADVAN Sport V107 tires as original equipment (OE) for the special edition RZ 600e “F SPORT Performance” model of the Lexus RZ, an SUV-type battery electric vehicle (BEV) with enhanced motor output. The RZ 600e “F SPORT Performance” went on sale starting in March 2026 in Asia, including Japan, Australia, Latin America, Africa, and other regions*. The tire sizes are 255/40ZR21 (102Y) for the front and 295/35ZR21 (107Y) for the rear.

Yokohama Tire announced that it will permanently close its manufacturing plant in Salem, VA effective March 18, 2026. Previously, the company announced a reduction in output for March and notified employees that production could cease in July. After negotiations with the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union and its Local Union No. 1023 (USW), the two sides have agreed to expedite the closure of the facility.

Cabot Corporation said it will increase prices globally by up to 20 percent for products sold by its specialty carbons and specialty compounds businesses, citing rising costs and market conditions.

The focus of the trade show presentation was on high-performance technologies for the precise, efficient, and reliable production of tire components, including Multiplex and Rollerhead systems. KraussMaffei Extrusion has been one of the world’s leading suppliers of multiplex systems for decades. These systems enable high-precision co-extrusion of various rubber components and make a decisive contribution to productivity and efficiency in tire production. In the area of Rollerhead systems as well, the company showcased high-performance solutions that are particularly well-suited for the cost-effective production of components for PCR and TBR tires.